All is set for Sh 20 Billion wind plant in Lamu, says Swazuri

Lamu, KENYA: The proposed Sh. 20 billion wind harnessing plant to be established in Lamu will go on as planned,the National Lands Commission-NLC has said.

The NLC boss Muhammad Swazuri said all pending matters that had initially been hindering the progress of the massive project, have all been addressed and that all was set for the Wind project to kick off.

Speaking at the plant’s proposed site at Baharini area in Mpeketoni on Wednesday when he met over 1000 land owners over the same,Swazuri said the commission was currently carrying out valuation for the affected lands before compensation; which shall take place in a short while.

He said all those whose lands have been acquired for the project shall receive both monetary and alternative compensation.

“ We shall ensure to compensate all the 259 land owners both in monetary and alternative settlement.We are doing our final valuation rounds before we commence compensation,”said Swazuri.

Swazuri said compensation for the acquired lands shall largely be determined by the extent to which they have been developed and also their location.

The Commission boss said a total of 259 land owners will be affected since the project in its entirety requires a total of 3,206 acres of land for establishment.

Swazuri pledged to ensure the commission only gets to compensate only genuine land owners and that the NLC had already brought in surveyors to help with the valuation exercise .

He cautioned all local leaders and politicians against immersing the project and all associated plans into their ‘political circle talks’ saying such action would only serve to frustrate the affected persons and Lamu as a whole, since the project was majorly for the benefit of the county.

He called on county commissioner Joseph Kanyiri to take stern legal measures against any such leader who shall be found associating or using the project for their own malicious propaganda.

“We shall not entertain leaders and politicians who will want to turn this project into some sort of propaganda tool.We have talked to the county commissioner to help keep that in check by arresting and taking legal action against such individuals,”he said.

Land owners have so far said they will not accept anything less than Sh.5 Million per acre compensation citing over-development.

The Wind project is the third of its kind in Lamu after the massive new Lamu port project-LAPSSET that is expected to cost over Sh.15 Trillion and the Coal plant project that will cost over Sh.180 Billion.